He advised them to face their studies seriously, adding that great leaders of today never made it through cultism, but through a dint of hard work in educational pursuits.
Sampson, who is the Vice chairman of, the Senate Committee on Education, gave the admonition while celebrating his 57th birthday with the students at Saint Francis Secondary School, in the Eket Local government area of the state at the weekend.
Giving reasons why he chose to celebrate his birthday in the classroom, the senator said he is a product of education, adding that he became what he is because he took his education pursuit seriously.
While noting that education remains the key to a sustainable and successful life, the senator prayed that he would want to see them excel in their chosen careers, becoming medical doctors, engineers, pilots and so forth.
He said ” I’m here as a product of education, I have worked hard to promote education because without education I wouldn’t have been where I am today.
‘”Today, I am the Vice chairman Senate Committee on Education, I thank the Senate President, senator Godswill Akpabio, and my colleagues who allowed me to be involved in education in the Senate. The more we promote education, the more we tackle social vices that confront us such as insecurity and the rest.
“So, we must not leave education in the hands of government alone; every stakeholder should be involved in education. During my birthday, I go to school to teach. I have taught in Mkpat-Enin school, last year, I was at Mbo, and today is the turn of Eket.
“We are thanking God that Akwa Ibom State is taking centre stage through a young man called John Obot, who has broken the Guinness World Record in marathon reading aloud. John Obot has become a national and international Icon.
“Don’t allow yourself to be involved in cultism because cultists cannot get to where I am today. Governor Udom Emmanuel is not a cultist, Senator Godswill Akpabio is not a cultist, President Bola Tinubu, from what I have heard is not a cultist; they all made it through education.
He promised to build a befitting staff quarter for the school and transform in the entire school.
The senator started the celebration with a lecture he delivered titled ” Imagination in Essay Composition: Unity in tenses at the end of which he donated a token to a few students who excelled in the spelling competition.